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Friday, May 31, 2013

The new season of BBQ Pitmasters fires up this Sunday, June 2nd on the Destination America channel at 9pm Eastern time (8pm cst). I had the opportunity to interview world champion pitmaster, author, and restauranteur Myron Mixon about the show and his new book, Everyday Barbecue.

I made these easy blue cheese stuffed burger inspired by the spirit of Everyday Barbecue. Grilling and BBQ isn't magic or voodoo. It does not have to be hard and you should be able to enjoy it during the week too. This another entry of mine for Destination America's Red, White, and Food during their Meat Week.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Now that the "grilling season" has begun [never stopped for me!], there are going to be lots of cookouts to throw and attend. This recipe is perfect for those summer cookouts because it is tropical, easy to make, and it's a departure from the usual burgers and dogs.

These huli huli chicken sliders are what I made for our annual blogger party on the lake this past weekend. I'll do a full post about that fun event later this week but wanted to get the recipe out there for those that asked. Plus I liked this recipe so much that I wanted to use this as my submission to Red, White and Food as part of Meat Week. What is Meat Week?

Sunday, May 26, 2013

When I was in my young wild and rambunctious phase, we might have had a party or two. One of our go-to party drinks was a beverage we called Blue Whales.

It was a simple concoction, 2 gallons of lemonade, 1 bottle of Everclear, 1 bottle of Curaco, and a bunch of sliced oranges. It was powerful, economical, and everyone liked it because, despite the alcohol, it was candy cotton sweet. Perfect for drinking on the beach or poolside.

This weekend we had some houseguests in town for the annual blogger party (post forthcoming) so I made an updated version of Blue Whales.

Monday, May 20, 2013

If you asked me what my favorite cut of pork is every day, I would probably change my answer each day. Shoulder, chops, ribs, sausage, belly....you name it. Sunday my pork weapon of choice was tenderloin. It's lean, quick cooking, and can take on so many kinds of flavors.

This particular time I went with the sweetness of cherry and the smoky heat of chipotle for a delicious grilled Cherry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin.

The brine, rub, and BBQ sauce are all easy to make for this simple recipe. If you don't have the time to brine, you could skip that part but it adds a lot of flavor and keeps the pork juicy while grilling.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend is next week and
for a lot of folks, that means the start of the grilling and BBQ
season. With all of the great things that come with cook outs and
firing up that grill, one annoyance that comes with it is flies.

I have found something that turns that
annoyance into entertainment. It is the Bug-A-Salt salt gun and it wins the coveted Nibble Me This
Best Grilling Accessory Award of 2013*.

It is an ingenious
non-toxic solution that uses a pinch of common table salt and air to
take out flying or crawling pests.

When you light up your
grill or start prepping food outside, it is like a dinner bell for
flies and draws in every flying maggot for miles and miles, right?
I've tried the pennies in a ziptop bag of water and it doesn't keep
them away (Mythbusters busted that myth). Swatting a fly with a fly
swatter just splatters it all over your cooking or eating area, yuck.
The Bug-A-Salt kills the fly with about 1/8th tsp of
table salt but leaves the fly whole for easy, safe clean up.

I found the Bug-A-Salt
when they were doing a kickstarter type campaign last year or so. I
checked back recently and found they are in full production now so I
bought one for review.

Kills
flies, mosquitoes, roaches and other pests with a range of 3 feet

non-toxic

pump action - No battery required

bug remains whole for easy clean up

excellent for flying insects indoors near windows, corners, and ceilings

Testing

We
have cycled through two hoppers of salt for 100+ shots. This thing
works exactly as advertised. As shown in the video, we found it to
be accurate even at 3 feet away from the tiny target. Accuracy on
still targets is close to 100%. Trying to hit an erratic flying
target is harder but definitely doable. So far it has taken out
flies, meal moths, invasive brown stink bugs, and ants.

To see a video of the accuracy test in action, go to the 2:47 mark in this video that I made.

It
is a quality build and feels sturdy, like it will last. We did have
a couple of misfires at first. We quickly found that those were
caused by cocking the gun while tilted AND the salt supply was low,
so it just didn't get a full load of salt. Since then it has
performed flawlessly. If you do run into problems, they have a
hotline for customer service...I'm pretty sure it's the owner's
actual mobile or office phone. I love working with smaller companies
like that!

Summary

Expensive
for a “fly swatter”? Absolutely. But the x-factor is the
entertainment aspect. Without exception, EVERYONE that I have shown
the Bug-A-Salt has wanted to hold it and shoot it several times.
This would be fun to have at BBQ competitions, picnics, campgrounds
and such. It also works GREAT when a fly or gallon nipper gets INTO
your house.

I'm
glad I finally bought one and I would recommend it.

Note:
This should only be used on nuisance pests. Most insects are
beneficial and are important parts of our ecosystem. But flies,
mosquitoes, and roaches? Take 'em out!

Memorial Day Grilling Giveaway

After
buying my Bug-A-Salt, I reached out to them and they are willing to
sponsor my Memorial Day Grilling Giveaway. One lucky winner will
receive their very own Bug-A-Salt just in time for those outdoor
Summer Activities.

To
enter leave a comment below and tell me where you would use your
Bug-A-Salt if you win it. (Be sure to leave a way for me to reach
you if you use the Anonymous comment option. Leave an email or forum
name)

You
can get a bonus entry by tweeting a link to this blog post and using
the hash tag #bugasalt

Entries
will be accepted until Noon Eastern time on Memorial Day 2013.

Winner
will be selected and notified via email and a post update on Memorial
Day.

Winner
has one week from notice to provide shipping information or a runner
up will be selected at random.

*Yeah, I normally don't give out awards on this blog, I just made that award up. Bloggers are good at
just making awards up like that, it sounds “important”. Actual
cash value of this award plus a dollar will get you a cup of coffee
at McDonalds. But in all seriousness, this is my favorite grilling
gadget I have gotten this year.**

**This just in. The
above footnote has been awarded the Nibble Me This Best Footnote of
2013. I would like to thank my readers, my supporters, and
especially my dad, who told me when I was 7, that if I applied myself
and worked hard, I could one day win the Nibble Me This Best Footnote
Award.

Monday, May 13, 2013

The Sam's Club BBQ Tour is
tournament style set up of KCBS BBQ competitions across the country and
boasting half a million dollars in prize money. 750 BBQ teams compete
in regional events, hoping to move on to the regional semi-finals and
ultimately, the national championships in Bentonville, AR.

Friday, May 10, 2013

After the Rocky Top BBQ Cook Off last weekend, the Big Bob Gibson Team had to high tail it back to Decatur, AL. They had almost the full flat from their Snake River Farms waygu brisket leftover and couldn't take it with them. Hoss asked if I wanted it.

Did I want it? Damn he's funny!

After enjoying it for a few days and there was only a pound and a half left, I wanted to try something different. After toying with a few ideas, I thought I would make a brisket sloppy joe.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

When you hear "grilled chicken breasts" you normally probably think of the typical boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts can deliver a juicier and tastier meat but you just can't go about it the same way. It takes a little lower heat, a bit more time, and a watchful eye.

This recipe uses a few techniques and a tasty orange-chipotle sauce to create a spicy grilled chicken breast that just drips with flavor.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

I have talked about brining poultry and
pork but one thing I haven't written about much is dry brining.

Dry brining is just what it says,
brining without liquid. The salt in the rub induces the pores of
the meat to open up and draws out liquid that mixes with the
seasonings of the rub. After a while, the seasonings and liquid are
pulled back into the meat. With dry brining, you need to give it the
full length of recommended time, don't short change it. Otherwise
the moisture might not be reabsorbed and the meat can be dry.

I recently experimented with dry
brining using a recipe for Dry Brined Beer Can Chicken from the 2013
Southern Living book All Fired Up.

reprinted with permission from All Fired Up by Troy Black and Southern Living, Oxmoor House 2013

It took 24 hours to brine the two birds
but the wait was worth it. (click the link below for recipe)

Thursday, May 2, 2013

A lot is going on in Knoxville over the next few weeks. Here's the skinny.

Rocky Top Hummin' and Strummin' BBQ Cook-off
THIS WEEKEND May 2-4

More than 45 smoking hot BBQ teams collide to fight for the Tennessee State BBQ Championship at this KCBS event. The Big Bob Gibson's team, winners of multiple World Championships, will be competing. In addition to the BBQ competition, there will be bands, BBQ vendors, and a Peoples Choice category. The event is on the grounds at the Episcopal School of Knoxville. They are charging admission but all proceeds go to benefit the Rotary Club of West Knoxville. Come on down, check it out, and support a good cause. [Click for details]

Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Next weekend, May 11

The Sam's Club event rolls into Knoxville at the 8435 Walbrook Drive location at Gallaher View.

KCBS and Sam's Club® are back with the nationwide quest for BBQ's National Champion with the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour. Major bragging rights and $500,000 are up for grabs in this one-of-a-kind competition series!

Twenty-five local events and five Regional finals will take place at various Sam's Club locations across the country. What will start as 750 teams will end at Sam's Club Headquarters in Bentonville with one National Champion.

Come out to see the event and meet grill master, competitive chef, and author Troy Black. [Click for details]

Pic from last year's party on the dock.

Fourth Annual East Tennessee Blogger Party

Sunday, May 26

We have had a blast at Larry and Beverly's lakefront vista the past 3 years and this year's theme is Hawaiian Luau-ish.

Date: Sunday, May 26, 2013 Rain or Shine
Time: Noon until whenever everyone leaves. We will eat around 1:30 PM
Who: Anyone who is willing to make the trip is welcome and of course, bring your significant other!
Where: Larry's place on Tellico Lake which is about 35 miles southwest of Knoxville, TN.
Dress: Island if you can.

We will be serving Hawaiian, Island fare. We will be asking for a small donation (approximately $10 per person) to cover the cost of the meat. We won't know exactly how the donation will be until we have a final attendance count.

We will provide tea and soft drinks and island concoctions but please feel free to BYOB.